Comments on: Team President wants Dusty Baker to stay with the Reds “for many years to come”http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/
Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball.Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:58:49 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: dutchman45http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348369
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:14:06 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348369Todd Frazier had to find a position and earn time. Do not blame Dusty. After all, Scott Rolen is a fine player and does produce when healthy. Frazier replaced him when he was hurt. Frazier is from new Jersey and is a favorite of this New York Reds fan. He will get a chance to replace Rolen next year. He will be a productive player for years. Ain’t dustys fault it took him time to break in. Dusty is a candidate for mgr of year. He will finish in top 5 and might go into hall of fame as mgr based on his managerial cumulative record. Back of him. Would u rather have bobby Valentine
]]>By: jonroxhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348310
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:30:56 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348310I’m of the opinion that the manager has very little control over player performance, as development is largely from position coaches and day-to-day play is skill-driven luck. On the other hand, the manager does have the power to put his players in the best position possible to succeed. That is, it is the manager’s job to arrange the lineup and positions of his players to maximize their potential output. This means things like putting your best batters higher in the lineup, or recognizing which players deserve playing time based on their performance.

Based on watching the Reds, Dusty is not a good game manager. He refuses to optimize his batting lineup by insisting on putting terrible OBP guys in the top spots. He plays “his guys” (this year it is Rolen and Miguel Cairo) over deserving guys (e.g. Frazier). He frequently leaves starters in too long. He mismanages the bullpen.

This year, Dusty has been blessed with a lot of luck: very few injuries, Votto notwithstanding; the emergence of two players that deserve rookie of the year consideration (Frazier and Cozart); and the emergence of several brilliant bullpen arms.

The Reds winning this year has been much more about the players winning than Dusty putting the players in a position to win.

]]>By: whodeytnhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348277
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:37:55 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348277How can you still hate Dusty with the job he’s done this year?

Give the man a contract.

]]>By: dutchman45http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348238
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:55:30 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348238The Reds are relevant and will be a contender for a while. Dusty is 63 and is doing a great job. Give him a 4 year contract as players love playing for him. Plus his coaching staff with Price as pitching coach and Chris Speir is superb. Also Mark Berry and Billy Hatcher. Keep them all and watch a few world championships.
]]>By: foreverchipper10http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348178
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:56:03 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348178Where oh where is metalhead for this one?
]]>By: thefalcon123http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348085
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:01:33 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348085From FireJoeMorgan:

Dusty Baker Loves OBP
Mark this date down: July 20, 2008.

“Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn don’t have the best batting averages, but Reds manager Dusty Baker doesn’t plan on doing anything different with the two sluggers when it comes to filling out a lineup card.”

NATIONAL HOLIDAY!

“Griffey’s .236 average and Dunn’s .230 average are the two worst of any active everyday starter. Only part-time catcher Paul Bako’s (.213) is lower. But Griffey, the No. 3 hitter, and Dunn, the No. 5 hitter, are leading the way when it comes to on-base percentage, and for that reason, Baker isn’t planning any changes.”

Baker, long a skeptic of sabermetrics, the study of baseball statistics, began reading a blog called Fire Joe Morgan late Sunday afternoon.

“Those fellas make some good points,” Baker said. “They’re profane as hell, and they’re probably gay, but they make some good points.”

That’s not what he said. What he said was:

“Their averages are low, but their on-base percentages are still high,” Baker said. “Their on-base percentages are higher than some of the guys who are hitting.”

I’m afraid. This is some parallel dream world, right? I’ve just taken salvia and fallen into a utopian fantasyscape populated by black David Dukes, funny Robin Williamses and OBP-loving Dusty Bakers. That is the only explanation.

Why do you love OBP, Dusty? Tell us tell us tell us all of the reasons!

“I know they can hit, but it also helps to get on base and put a pitcher in the stretch. That’s the thing. Most starters don’t like being in the stretch.”

Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

I feel sick.

The only…reason…to…get…on base…is…to…put…the pitcher…in the stretch?

?!

!

?

!?

On the list of good things about being on base, the order goes, roughly:

1. You’re on base.

2. You didn’t make an out.

3. Again, great, hey — you’re on base.

…

…

…

One million, four hundred thousand. The pitcher is in the stretch.

Besides loving OBP, Dusty Baker is also a big fan of the French Laundry.

“It’s the most amazing place,” said Baker. “What I liked best about it was that they give you a piece of fabric you can use to wipe your mouth, wipe your hands — whatever you want. They call it a ‘napkin.’ I highly recommend the French Laundry.”

]]>By: umrguy42http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348082
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:00:13 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348082Toss up: Who polarizes/polarized their own fanbase more, Dusty, or TLR?
]]>By: Aaronhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348081
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:58:35 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348081Cincinnati need to make some noise in the playoffs before he’s praised for his “success” in that town.
]]>By: nineroutsiderhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348079
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:57:10 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348079Mr. Castellini better say all that and much more to kiss Mr. Baker’s ass or Dusty will get so butt-hurt he’d away away from a team that went 7 games in the World Series because his giant ego would be so bruised from not getting properly massaged by management all season long.

Dusty managed the Giants when I was a kid, and I was always have great memories of him (except pulling Ortiz to early in game 6 and not going to Chad Zerbe instead of Rodriguez who had been used too much that postseason!), but man does the guy have a big yet soft, sensitive ego.

The better fly plane messages over the stadium professing their love for him…

]]>By: cur68http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348063
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:26:26 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348063Actually stlou, now that you put it like that, you’d think I’d have known that…danged memory isn’t what it used to be I guess.
]]>By: youdogoodatbaseballhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348060
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:23:38 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348060of course you like Dusty, you both love guys who can’t get on base (See: Drew Stubbs). Not only did he bench young position players for much less productive vets (because they were “his guys”) he ruined arms.

And for your claim that he is well liked and keeps drama to a minimum? I remember a lot of drama between Kent/Bonds and with Sammy Sosa. And I’m pretty sure people don’t crap in the dugout if they like a manager:

]]>By: El Bravohttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348050
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:16:58 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348050Fire him. Bobby V. is going to need a new job soon.
]]>By: cur68http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/16/team-president-wants-dusty-baker-to-stay-with-the-reds-for-many-years-to-come/comment-page-1/#comment-348038
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:05:53 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=191433#comment-348038“Many years to come”, eh? Any word on if he was danged* to heck for many years to come, too?